Max Verstappen’s Pit lane nightmare as he misses two near crashes in Italian Grand Prix qualifying

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen experienced two nerve-wracking moments during the Italian Grand Prix qualifying session as he narrowly avoided two separate collisions in the pit lane. It showcased both his quick reflexes and the chaotic nature of the event.

The first came During the final part of Q1, Verstappen faced another close call—this time with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. As cars headed back out to complete their final flying laps, Verstappen was already in the pit lane when Piastri pulled out of his garage. The McLaren car came dangerously close to clipping Verstappen, forcing him to slow down and turn to the left to avoid a potentially race-ending crash.

Here is the video: 

Drama in the pit lane 😳



Verstappen encounters traffic not once, but twice during qualifying 👇#F1 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/DBprj1Uk5e

— Formula 1 (@F1) August 31, 2024

"F***, we almost crashed!" Verstappen exclaimed over the radio, his frustration evident. His Red Bull race engineer promptly reported the incident to race control, highlighting the seriousness of the situation. TV replays later showed a McLaren mechanic signalling Piastri to accelerate without checking if the pit lane was clear, leading to the near-miss.

Charles Leclerc follows Oscar Piastri!

However, the drama didn’t end there. Charles Leclerc abruptly whipped his Ferrari out of the garage, forcing Verstappen to slam on his brakes to avoid a collision in the slow lane. This sudden manoeuvre added to the Dutchman’s stress and seemed to impact his performance on the track.

As a result, despite his new tyres, Verstappen struggled to find his rhythm and ended up in eighth position, trailing his teammate Sergio Perez by nearly seven-tenths of a second. This incident is now under investigation by the Formula 1 stewards, who are likely to impose a fine on the McLaren team for the unsafe release.

Fortunately for Piastri, he is unlikely to face a grid penalty, as current guidelines suggest that a team fine is the appropriate sanction for such infractions during qualifying sessions. Despite the tension, Verstappen managed to escape unscathed. He eventually finished 7th in qualifying.